Nova Scotia Community College
OP-9: Landscape Management

Building footprint as well as undeveloped land have been excluded from the area of managed grounds.

NSCC campuses do not use pesticides or fertilizers.

All NSCC campuses have a contract with Abell pest control services. Abell's services include a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management Program focusing on pest prevention, not just pest management.

Abell's program incorporates the following:
Visual Inspection - to determine pest presence
Monitoring - to detect pests and assess the level of control success
Identification - to determine what the pest is, permitting the proper course of action
Sanitation - cleaning to eliminate pest food sources
Exclusion / Structural Maintenance - keeping pests out while preventing movement within the building
Harbourage Elimination - removing hiding areas for pests
Mechanical Control - using equipment such as mousetraps or vacuums to remove pests
Chemical Control - using insecticides and rodenticides to eliminate pests
Record Keeping and Analysis - looking for trends in pest activity to identify susceptible areas
Education - informing unit renters of their role in pest management
https://www.abellpestcontrol.com/en-ca/about-us/abells-ipm-organic-and-leeds-approach

At every NSCC campus, it is standard practice to prioritize native plants in landscaping. Other than when plants are established, there is no regular irrigation. Natural habitats are protected and restored where possible. Only native species are selected when integrating new plants. Non-native invasive species are removed if present on-site.

Apart from when plants are established, regular irrigation is not utilized at any NSCC campus. NSCC does not use irrigation for landscaping wherever possible. Campus design and operations support natural hydrology. Some examples include:
The Ivany and Lunenburg Campuses have bioswales to absorb and naturally filter surface runoff. All campuses are landscaped with native vegetation and thus do not require irrigation.

All grass cutting generated from mowing is kept to keep the grass healthy. All other landscaping waste is removed, composted, and mulched. Many campuses also have onsite composting areas where clippings, leaves and other materials are composted and reused.

Landscape architects are to use LEED best practices when designing landscaping for new construction. NSCC chooses native vegetation, thus reducing irrigation requirements and other energy-intensive maintenance practices. What roofs are utilized at our Ivany and Marconi campuses to minimize the heat island effect.

NSCC's procurement policy states that all purchases, including those for landscaping, must meet industry-recognized certifications for environmental performance. Low Impact Development (LID) and Green Infrastructure (GI) strategies are the preferred landscaping strategies at NSCC and are used on all new construction projects when possible.